Four Countries I’d Like to Live In

Living in North America certainly has it’s perks, but it’s very expensive.

Going to a movie costs $12.50-$15/person, which is nothing to scoff at, especially if you aren’t going alone.  A bottle of wine is almost never under $10 (even the cheap stuff), and gas is astronomically priced.

Sometimes, I zone out and dream about where else I would like to live in the world, if I didn’t live here. There are some pretty awesome places that are substantially less expensive, even if the standard of living, quality of life, and job prospects are dismal.

Argentina

I’ve never been, but Argentina looks beautiful in all of the pictures I’ve seen. Sure it’s had it’s problems, one of them being a bit of an economic meltdown, but you can go to a movie for $4 and there is mountains, and the ocean, and it’s warm in the summer and cool in the winter so that sounds perfect. Plus, soccer.

Eating at a restaurant in Argentina costs substantially less (60% or so less) than it does in the US of A, which means really substantially less than it does in Canada.

I could just picture myself living in Argentina eating fresh fruit from the trees and learning to speak Spanish.

Philippines

Who wouldn’t want to live in the Philippines when you can hire a live-in, 24/7 maid (if you were so inclined) for $45/month (less than my internet bill) and go to a good school for $250/semester (10% of what I pay for a semester at a mediocre university).

It’s humid and tropical and I’m sure that comes with a whole ton of bugs, but that’s the price you pay for such low cost of living 🙂

Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands are, of course, a popular beach destination, but the country is also known as a very popular tax haven, and one in which many people set up offshore accounts for maximum tax benefits.

Cayman Islands have very high eating-out costs (substantially higher than even North America for a restaurant meal), but comparable for most other expenses, like utilities, rent, and grocery prices.

Plus, it’s tropical and you can get a whole duplex on the ocean for $500,000 which is barely anything in North America, so you really can’t complain about that.

The biggest benefit of the Cayman Islands would definitely be the tax benefits. And the white sand beaches. That doesn’t hurt either.

Paraguay

Depending on who you ask, Paraguay is considered among the cheapest countries in the world. That includes living costs and travel to the country. You can get a hotel for $20 per night (and that’s a decent hotel too – not the Hilton but far from the ghetto), and you can take public transportation for $0.36 for a one way ticket.

Also, you can rent a 1 bedroom apartment in the city center for under $200, which is pretty awesome.

British Columbia is a pretty awesome province, even if it’s extremely expensive. I’m super fortunate to be Canadian, but sometimes, you have just got to dream about greener (re: cheaper) pastures.